Key & Compass presents:
The Ritual of Purification
by Jarek Sobolewski

• Map
• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Amusing, Characters, Credits, Endings, Inventory, Score, Spells
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• External links:
  • This game at IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
  • Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Map

• Note that when you obtain a spell from Hell, Clearing, Road, or The Tower, you are returned to Nowhere and that section you just left is now closed off.

Walkthrough

The Gateway

> help.

> x me. i. (You are you, carrying nothing.)

> spells. (You know the spell of light.)

Examine everything. The carvings foreshadow everyone you'll meet.

> x gateway. x silver symbol. x Daemon. x sky.

> x carvings. x grotesque. x disgusting. x erotic. x absorbing. x funny.

Chat with the Daemon about everything, if you like.

> daemon, hello. ask daemon about himself. ask daemon about arch.

> ask daemon about symbol. ask daemon about testing.

> ask daemon about sex. ask daemon about daemons. ask daemon about humans.

> ask daemon about fire. ask daemon about water.

> ask daemon about grotesque carvings.

> ask daemon about disgusting carvings.

> ask daemon about erotic carvings.

> ask daemon about absorbing carvings.

> ask daemon about funny carvings.

> ask daemon about hellhounds. ask daemon about krakens.

> ask daemon about angel. ask daemon about chaos.

> ask daemon about nymphs. ask daemon about satyrs.

> ask daemon about purification.

Okay, let's get on with it:

> ask daemon about spells —or— cast light.

> take ball. eat ball. (+1. You learn the fireball spell.)

> cast fireball.

You can't ENTER ARCH, but it's to the east.

> e. (The Daemon wants a song.)

> sing. (+1. You step through the arch to...)

Void

You are now in the mind of an ancient Dragon or Wyrm. Your commands are ignored for four turns.

> z. z. z. z.

Endless Plains

Binary gender choice. Go northeast if you wish to play as male; go southeast if you wish to play as female.

> x statues. touch statues.

> ne —or— se.

Nowhere

This location acts like a hub, with more interesting places in the four cardinal directions.

> x mist. x voices.

> w.

Clearing

You interrupt a celebration and everyone flees, except for either one Nymph (if you're playing as male) or Satyr (if you're playing as female).

> x nymph —or— x satyr.

> x bonfire. x logs. x moons.

Feel free to ask the Nymph or Satyr about herself/himself, fire, water, Nymphs, Satyrs, Daemons, Hellhounds, humans, moons, sex, love, nature, water, celebration.

But you must ask about spells:

> ask nymph about spells —or— ask satyr about spells.

Note the item that the Nymph or Satyr used.

> x comb —or— x pipes.

> take comb —or— take pipes.

> kiss nymph —or— kiss satyr. (+1. You learn the love spell.)

And now you're back in...

Nowhere

> e.

Road

> x mushrooms. smell. x daffodils.

A female figure arrives, dancing.

> x figure. ask figure about herself. ("I had a little monkey")

Just let the woman talk to you for several turns. When she asks to taste your lips, kiss her.

> z. z. z. z.

> kiss woman. (+1. You learn the madness spell.)

And you're back in...

Nowhere

> n.

Hell

> x hellhound. x river. x lake.

Again, you can talk about quite a few topics:

> ask hellhound about spells. ask hellhound about sex.

> ask hellhound about hell. ask hellhound about fire.

> ask hellhound about daemons. ask hellhound about hellhounds.

> ask hellhound about satyrs. ask hellhound about nymphs.

> ask hellhound about lava. ask hellhound about humans.

> ask hellhound about water. ask hellhound about love.

To proceed, you have to tell him why you're here.

> tell hellhound about me —or— ask hellhound about purification.

He tells you that the way to purification leads through fire and deepest pain.

> enter lake.

Are you really sure? yes (+1. You learn the pain spell.)

And you're back in...

Nowhere

> s.

Nothing

> x tower. in.

The Tower (base)

> x dust. x stairs. u.

The Tower (top)

> x angel. x blood. x throne. x scythe.

The scythe is falling! You must act now!

> cast fireball at angel —or— cast light at angel. (He grants a gift for your courage: drink)

> drink blood. (+1. You learn the death spell.)

And you're back in...

Nowhere

The ground is less solid now.

> d.

Battlefield

You are now in the mind of a Child of Chaos. Your commands are ignored for four turns.

> z. z. z. z.

Dark Room / Octagonal Room

> cast light.

> x mirrors. x mirror. touch mirror. (Your hand goes through it.)

> enter mirror.

Silver

A wraith is attacking you. They are your reflection, your double. Their first attack is a spell of death.

> cast fireball at reflection.

Their death spell is broken. They now start a spell of pain.

> cast madness at reflection.

Their pain spell is shattered. They now start a spell of madness.

> cast love at reflection. (+1. They fall and ask for death.)

> kiss reflection. (+1. The two of you merge and rise.)

Octagonal Room

The mirrors shine and your shadow dances.

> x mirrors. touch mirrors. (Too bright!)

> x shadow. touch shadow.

> enter shadow. (+2)

*** You have won ***

Extras

Amusing

Have you tried...

• Saying hello to everyone?
• Telling everyone about yourself?
• Asking everyone about everything you know?
• Casting spells at various characters?
• Casting spells in the characters' locations?
• Casting various spells at the wraith?
• Killing the wraith, after you defeat him?
• Examining everything you see?
• Casting light in Daemon's presence?
• Turning back?
• Manipulating objects?

No? Well, what are you waiting for?

Characters

• A male Daemon, nude and lascivious, sits on the arch of the gateway. He can teach you the fireball spell.
• You experience what it's like to be a Dragon in the void.
• A voice tells you to choose your path in the endless plain.
• Many voices are heard in the mists of Nowhere.
• Nymphs and Satyrs are celebrating the conjunction of the moons in the clearing, but they all (but one) run away when you arrive. The Nymph or Satyr that remains is nude and, uh, free-spirited. The Satyr is particularly coarse. Either one can teach you the love spell.
• A male Hellhound is annoyed with your presence in Hell. He doesn't like human spellcasters, but can nevertheless teach you the pain spell.
• A woman, a figure madly dancing on the road, can teach you the spell of madness.
• The Angel of Death sits on his throne at the top of his tower. He is, of course, inclined to kill you, but can be persuaded to teach you the death spell instead.
• You experience what it's like to be a tentacled Child of Chaos on the battlefield.
• A Wraith, your reflection and your double, will attack you inside a silver mirror with your own spells.

Mentioned:

• Edgar Allan Poe is quoted in several boxquotes during the game.

Credits

Many thanks to Graham Nelson, for the creation of Inform, an incredible programming language, one can learn to, ahem, master nearly in no time.

Thanks also go to Liza Daly and Lucian Smith for organising beta-testing for those in need. And last, but not least, thanks to my beta-testers: Bernd Schmidt, Alex Hoffer and Theresa, for finding those nasty, obscure, spelling errors and bugs.

This game was heavily inspired by a number of works, both literature and music, but there's no need to waste your time by mentioning all of them.

This game is dedicated to Pid. (And he'll probably never know about it.)

Endings

• You have died
• if you cast fireball near or at the Hellhound.
• if the Angel of Death's scythe cuts your lifeline.
• if you cast fireball or death at the Nymph or Satyr.
• if any of your reflection's spells hits you.
• You have failed.
• if you cast death at the Hellhound.
• if you cast death at the dancing woman.
• if you cast death at your reflection.
• You have won
• if you enter your shadow in the Octagonal Room. You are purified.

Inventory

• a sphere of light. Create it via cast light. It provides light, but you can't do anything with it but hold it. The sphere dissipates after a few turns.
• a Daemon's spit. At the gateway, either ask the Daemon about spells or cast light to get him to spit this. It's a tiny fireball. Take and eat the spit to learn the fireball spell.

Score

Rankings:

• you are unpurified. (0 points)
• you are just beginning. (1 point)
• you are the first initiate. (2 points)
• you are the second initiate. (3 points)
• you are the third initiate. (4 points)
• you are the fourth initiate. (5 points)
• you are fighting. (6 points)
• you are victorious. (7 points)
• you are enlightened. (8 points)
• you are purified. (10 points)

Spells

You can learn up to six spells in this game. Use SPELLS to list your current spells. To use a spell, CAST spell or CAST spell ON someone. None of your spells target inanimate objects.

• Death.
• At the top of the tower, when the scythe is about to fall, cast fireball at the Angel of Death, then drink the blood he offers you to learn this spell.
• Although you need to learn this spell to succeed, you shouldn't cast death at anyone.
• Fireball.
• At the gateway, ask the Daemon about spells or cast light; he'll throw a ball of his spit at you to swallow. Take and eat the ball to learn this spell.
• At the top of the tower, when the scythe is about to fall, cast fireball at Angel. Your life will be spared (for now) and you'll be offered the chance to drink the blood there.
• In silver, when your reflection is casting death at you, cast fireball at reflection. Their spell is broken and they'll change their attack.
• Light.
• You start with this one.
• Cast light to create a sphere of light. If you do this at the gateway, the Daemon will spit a small fireball for you to swallow.
• At the top of the tower, when the scythe is about to fall, cast light at Angel. Your life will be spared (for now) and you'll be offered the chance to drink the blood there.
• Cast light in the Dark Room so you can see you're in the Octagonal Room.
• Love.
• If playing as male: in the clearing, ask the Nymph about spells, try to take the Nymph's comb, then kiss the Nymph to learn this spell.
• If playing as female: in the clearing, ask the Satyr about spells, try to take the Satyr's pipes, then kiss the Satyr to learn this spell.
• In silver, when your reflection is casting madness at you, cast love at reflection. Their spell is broken and they'll surrender.
• Madness.
• On the road, after the mad dancing woman has asked for your lips, kiss the woman to learn this spell.
• In silver, when your reflection is casting pain at you, cast madness at reflection. Their spell is broken and they'll change their attack.
• Pain.
• In Hell, tell the Hellhound about yourself or ask him about purification. Then enter the lake of fire to learn this spell.
• Although you need to learn this spell to succeed, you shouldn't cast pain at anyone.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!

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